1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a process for producing a hydroxy compound. More particularly, the Invention relates to a process for indirectly producing a hydroxy compound from a hydrocarbon, chlorine, and water via a chlorinated hydrocarbon, wherein the process is advantageous in that the hydrogen chloride gas produced as a by-product can be efficiently recycled and that the process is carried out without loss of the hydrocarbon by combustion or generation of dioxins.
2. Description of the Related Art
A process for indirectly producing a hydroxy compound such as phenol from a hydrocarbon, e.g. benzene, hydrogen chloride, and water via monochlorobenzene, a chlorinated hydrocarbon, is called as Raschig process and has been publicly known (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,063). This is a process, in which monochlorobenzene is produced from benzene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen by oxychlorination method, then phenol is produced by hydrolyzing the monochlorobenzene and simultaneously hydrogen chloride produced as a by-product is recovered and used for oxychlorination method for the monochlorobenzene production.
However, in the oxychlorination method (refer to JP-A-53-9723), since hydrogen chloride, oxygen and benzene are kept co-existing at a high temperature of 200° C. or higher, benzene is apt to be lost by combustion and there is a risk of generation of dioxins. Further, processes involving oxychlorination methods to be carried out at a low temperature of 200° C. or lower are also disclosed (for example, refer to JP-B-45-28366 and 50-34011). However, the processes require use of costly noble metal catalysts, sometimes produce by-products such as diphenyl which are uneasy to be reused, also have a risk of generation of dioxins, and cannot cause a stable performance, and therefore it cannot be said that these processes are efficient production processes.